The C25K Initiative: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

I can honestly say, with no exaggeration, that I never thought yesterday would have happened, especially more than 10 months ago when I started the Couch to 5K program.

Well folks, this is a picture of what victory looks like:

Well, pretend I remembered to take a screen shot of the app when I actually finished the program, instead of the next day. Elapsed would say 40:00 and Remaining would say 0:00. It happened, I promise. See the green check mark on 9.3?

On Monday, December 6, 2010 at approximately 6:45 p.m., I, Beckey, the author of More To Love Running, ran for 30 minutes straight and completed the Couch to 5K program.

Omigosh! Ahhhh!

Okay, okay, wait a minute. Not only did I finish the program, but I finished the program on a treadmill. On a treadmill running next to some dude I didn't know. Running next to some dude I didn't know who didn't have headphones on and therefore could hear me huffing and puffing and hear my thundering steps.

We're talking HUGE victories here, people!

The most amusing part to me is that I didn't even get a chance to celebrate yesterday because I was busy being a Beckey Crocker failure. I came back from the workout room to the task of making hoards of red velvet cupcakes for my work's holiday bake-off. Let me tell you now that I HATE baking on weekdays. There's a reason: if something goes wrong, there's NO recovery time.

There is, however, an extremely helpful mother. I didn't have sugar or cupcake papers. I was soaking wet with sweat, still in my running clothes, and exhausted. My loving mother rescued me, though, and delivered the sugar and papers. Whew. Thanks mom!

So, this day after my baking almost-catastrophe, and after the cupcakes are iced, I'm officially giving myself time to get excited about my accomplishment.

I FINISHED! WHEEEE!

Er ... now what?

Did I Leave You Hanging?

Ah, I'm sorry. I probably owe you all an update after leaving you all hanging on Saturday afternoon. I think as running becomes more and more a part of my life, it becomes more difficult to remember to get on here and tell you all what's up. Plus, you've all been so wonderful in answering my questions and sharing your own insights, I feel like I'm so very close to knowing everything.

Okay, maybe not.

Maybe I'm just lazy. That's more like it.

So yeah, big day Saturday. As you probably read, I completed Week 5, Day 3 of Couch to 5K. The day's plan read like this: 5-minute warmup, then jog for 20 minutes with no walking.

Uh, hellooo! That's an awful big jump up from Day 2's 8-minute jogs and 5-minute walks. Yikes for sure. Too bad I did it anyway!

WHEEEEE!

I was going to say I've never felt a bigger feeling of accomplishment, but I know the day I ran for 5 minutes straight was a pretty huge deal for me, too. But still, the 20-minute run might just take the cake. We're talking bigger than graduating college, folks. I didn't have to work very hard for that. This was hard.

But oddly, it wasn't as hard as I anticipated months ago when I peeked at the C25K Weeks and Days to come and found that first 20-minute run creeping up on me. A few posts ago, I talked about how 8 minutes may have been the threshold I needed to conquer in order to do these long runs. I thought, perhaps, that after 8 or so minutes of running, nothing could hurt worse and my breathing couldn't get more difficult. I think I was right.

My co-worker asked me today if I felt like I could've kept running after the 20 minutes was up. (This is the same co-worker who is kicking my butt in the endurance factor. He also felt similarly about the "threshold theory.") While I certainly didn't want to keep running on Saturday and didn't think twice about the option during or after my run, I'm fairly confident I could have kept going if I tried. I was tired and thirsty and my gum was pooping out on me, but if I pulled over for a quick sip at the water fountain, I totally could have gone another quarter or half mile ... maybe.

I think I'll stay curious for a little while longer. Until Mr. C25K tells me to move on.

Speaking of C25K, I have sunny days ahead. This will be the first time I will not be repeating a Day of the program! And I'm pretty sure I will be going 1-for-1 for a while now. See, Week 5, Day 3 (the 20-minute jog) leads into Week 6, Day 1 (warmup 5 minutes, run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 8 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 5 minutes). Wow, that one's complicated. But it's easier! Well, easier in that it's not longer runs -- just shorter walks. I've been saying for a long time now that I can stand to walk for shorter intervals. Looks like Mr. C25K finally agrees.

So, here's my plan: Continue to Week 6, Day 1, then straight on to Day 2, then straight on to Day 3 (a 25-minute run) --all this with the exception of my buddy runs, as necessary.

Wow.

Pretty sweet, folks! This is huge progress! After Week 6, everything's a long run with no walks. It's getting scary now!

So what should I do about two upcoming 5Ks? A friend of mine is getting me into the Who Dey 5K on her VIP status =) and I'll be doing the 101st Annual Thanksgiving Day Race on, you guessed it, Thanksgiving Day. Should I try a long run or plan for run/walk intervals? These courses are almost definitely not as flat as Armleder Park is (the scene of the 20-minute crime), and I am most definitely not conditioned for hills of any sort, sadly.

I know this is a few weeks away, but it's worth thinking about a little, right?

Oh, a few more things to mention about Saturday's run before I sign off:

• I hit a few big milestones during that run.
• It was my first time over 8 minutes.
• When Mr. C25K piped in and said "halfway," I may or may not have squealed a little, realizing that I just ran for 10 minutes.
• I passed the mile marker, which means I ran for a mile without stopping for the first time ever.
• I didn't look at the clock once until about 4 minutes from the end of the run.
• It didn't really get difficult until about 3 minutes from the end.
• The lack of anticipation during the 20-minute run was peaceful. I set out knowing that the first time I'd hear from Mr. C25K was when he said "halfway," then I wouldn't hear him again until I was finished.
• I started running, looked ahead of me and around the 1.9-mile loop and thought, "I'll probably run the whole way around. I just about did.
• This one's not related to Saturday, but I ran with Caitlin on Sunday and she did her first 8-minute runs and said, "That was awesome!" when we finished the first interval. You go girl! Day 3 is right around the corner!

Okay, that is all for now. I'm excited to see where I'm headed! How about you?

A Huge Step Up

Yay!

Yay!

Yay!

I just got back from my evening run--which happens to mark my third day in a row of running--and it was HUGE!

I just completed Week 5, Day 2 of Couch to 5K! (And I finished it without dying. That's important.)

Week 5, Day 2:
5-minute warm-up
Run for 8 minutes
Walk for 5 minutes
Run for 8 minutes
Cool down for 5 minutes

I ran for 8 minutes. Twice. Wheee! I knew I could do it after last Tuesday's "test" at the end of my 5-minute run. I went for a total of 8 minutes then and I knew I could do more.

I'm starting to understand why Week 5 makes such huge step-ups (from 5-minute runs to 8 minutes to 20 minutes). It's like once you've hit a certain number of minutes running, a little (or a lot) more doesn't really matter all that much. Nothing is going to hurt worse, your breathing isn't going to get more strained ... you're just going to get tired. Frankly, I can stay un-tired for 30 minutes and I think anyone can, really. (Assuming you're on a flat running path, at least.)

I still can't fathom being able to run for 20 or 30 minutes straight, though. I know I said it about Week 5, Day 1, but I think I'll be sitting on this Day for a long time before I get brave enough to try 20-minute intervals. I so wish there was an in-between. I'm afraid that I'll get impatient and wander off the plan again. Maybe I'll sit on this day until the Thanksgiving Day race and see what I want to do next.

Meh, too far in the future.

So, a quick review of this weekend ...

As I said, today was my third day in a row of running. I skipped a weekday workout last week to celebrate my "first 29th birthday," as my mother calls it. I figure it was a valid reason. Anyway, this weekend's weather was so nice and I had a big fat nothing planned, so I ran.

I joined Caitlin for another run at Miami Meadows on Saturday afternoon. This time, Caitlin brought her 11-month-old daughter and a side-by-side running stroller with her. This was Caitlin's first time out with the stroller and certainly my first encounter with trying to run with one. I volunteered to share the burden and we stuck with a Week 4 workout, considering the extra weight of the stroller and the horror stories I've heard about running with those things.

That was a smart move.

Those things are heavy! I can't even begin to imagine how people manage with two toddlers and/or young children strapped in. Whoa. Props to you who do it (John), you crazy people! Needless to say, we both got a good workout.

Sunday I tried a new running path at a park from my childhood. Short Park in Newtown (second one on the website) used to be a lot smaller than it is now. I played there when I was little, as did my mom and her friends. Now it's about twice the size and includes a 0.55-mile walk/run path.

The pictures on the website don't do it justice ... and I mean that in a bad way. It looks like a sad little abandoned park. Not the scary inner-city ones--just a sad one. There's a broken slide with caution tape wrapped around it, a sand volleyball court with no net and waist-high weeds, holey soccer nets, playground equipment from when I was little (or older), and a pretty nice set of basketball courts. Just sad.

I tried to take pictures, and totally thought I was, until I got home and realized that I forgot to take the running armband off my iPhone before snapping away. 1) It was really bright outside and you can't really see the screen that well anyway (since my brightness is turned down) and 2) I forgot the armband doesn't have a hole for the camera. I ended up with 6 pictures of blackness. Yeah. I'd promise some from next time I run there, but I don't think it will happen.

I ran well there, though. The path is flat with one short, steep uphill and a countering short, steep downhill to account for the elevation change.

So that's all for now. Super excited about my Week 5, Day 2 accomplishment. Wheee! Now it's time for dinner. Goodnight!

By the way, the front of my hips (hip flexors?) hurt. What's with that?

When The Students Beat The Teacher

Have you ever introduced someone to something, showed them the ropes, passed along your hard-earned wisdom, only to watch that someone completely surpass you? How do you usually feel about that? Jealous? Angry? Frustrated?

I'll tell you, it's happened to me before. Back in high school, for example (yes, high school again), I taught someone how to throw the discuss and shot put and he proceeded to break the school record. How did that make me feel? Well, in a word ...

PROUD!

(Okay, maybe a teensy jealous since I had been chasing the record for 4 years before he came along, but mostly proud.)

I'm a teacher-y kind of person. I like the challenge of taking something complicated or daunting and customizing it to my audience. This little piece of me is evident in my writing and my profession, actually. (Funny how those things pop up in your life, huh?) Some of my current co-workers would chalk it up to me being "high-helpful," as evaluated by a certain assessment we use internally.

Enough corporate talk. Blech!

I like to teach people to do stuff and then watch them kick butt. It's one reason I started and continue to use this blog. Now, we all know that I am in no way an expert runner or fitness guru. Faaaaarrrr from it, in fact. But I have learned some things along the way.

I've suffered, I've triumphed, I've been in ruts and I've been on highs. I've hurt and I've doubted, aimed high and achieved. Mostly, I've taken my experiences--good and bad--and paired them with the awesome advice some of my readers provide to me, whether it be in comments on here or discussions elsewhere. Those are the real experts, by the way.

Believe it or not, it looks like some folks have actually started running after reading about my locomotive breathing and shin splints. In a way, my trials have inspired others to get moving. "If Beckey can do it ..." is floating around the noggins of a few folks out there.

I'm extremely hesitant to take any credit for these people's successes. In fact, I don't want any credit at all, but a few of you have been crediting me for getting you started.

Let's think about that though. I certainly did not help you keep running for a whole mile, even when you tripped over a garbage can. I did not sign you up for boot camp or wake you up at 4:30 a.m. to get there. I wasn't there to drag you through Week 3 of Couch to 5K nor push you up the final hill of the Cheetah Run. I didn't kidnap you to run with me at 2 p.m. on the hottest day of the summer or physically drag you to Veterans for a difficult run. It wasn't my legs that carried you around Juilfs when you joined me on a jog this spring.

You did it on your own.

You're still doing it. You're feeling the burn and the joy.

You are doing awesome. PHENOMENAL! I couldn't be prouder.

Pat yourselves on the back, all of you!

One teensy little problem ... you're all passing me up!

I'm seriously stressing here, folks. You're running longer than me and more often. You're kicking butt at boot camp AND watching what you eat (I sure didn't do the second part). You're moving through C25K like there's no tomorrow!

What the heck?

I'm just kidding. Kudos, people!

Let me tell you what has happened. You who claim to have been inspired or motivated--the students, the learners, the newbies--you have become MY inspiration and motivation. I am now your student. Teach me. How are you doing it? How did you advance so quickly through those C25K weeks? How did you overcome barriers? How did you make yourself keep running for a whole mile? What conversations are you having with yourself to keep going, to keep improving, to keep kicking my ass?

I want to know what you know, people! Share the love! Leave comments! Tell me your running stories when you see me. Remember, talk about it ... it makes it easier to keep going.

Accomplished But Easily Discouraged

How could I possibly be discouraged at this point in the game? After all I've accomplished since March and all the changes in my body (whether or not they are visible to anyone but me is questionable) over the last 4 weeks, how could I think negatively of my success.

Well, I can.

I'll get to it in a bit though. First, I'll bring a bit of good news to the table.

Ta da!

ABC Linda picked me as the most improved camper at this past session of Adventure Boot Camp. One, I felt terrible because another camper was talking to me while the awards were being handed out. I didn't even get to hear what ABC Linda was saying to me. I should have asked her to zip it for a minute, but, of course, I didn't. Oh well, I think I know what she probably said, which brings me to point two: There's only one way to go from the bottom. Yeah, I improved over the four weeks (less that I would have liked because of the summer yuck and two injuries), but I think it's more about the stark contrast between my first day of camp and the remaining days. Night and day.

Anyway, I'm extremely honored to get the award and I'll be eternally grateful for the whole experience and for the guidance I got from ABC Linda. Truthfully, I almost had a girly crying moment when I heard my name and jumped up to get the certificate. It was a touching moment for me--an ending, I guess, and endings always get me a little emotional. And, like any graduation ceremony, it's a beginning as well. Now I actually have to do this on my own. Yikes!

Now it's time for a promotional message.

Do it.

If you ever have the chance to participate in Adventure Boot Camp, another boot camp, or any other kind of intense workout situation like it, DO IT. It's great. It's hard and it's sweaty and it's miserable at times, but it's so gratifying. There is no better way to start your day and no better way to kick start--well, anything. Seriously, I learned some life lessons from ABC that could be applied anywhere. I did a lot of talking with and yelling at myself during ABC, and it's similar yet different to the kind of inner conversations I have with myself when I'm running.

So yes, ABC was very much a personal experience, but there are also others there who are going through similar and drastically different things at the same time. They're a support group without being in your face. They grunt and groan along with you when you just can't hold that friggin' plank any longer. They turn around after they've finished their mile so they can cheer you on as you trudge across the finish line. They show care and concern for a camper who's thrown her knee out while completing a jog. They tease about staging a coup against the trainer who's saying "One more time, ladies!" They yell out "I need some Depends to do jumping jacks--don't forget to do your Kegels ladies!" There are no (at least not in my experience) group hugs or cheesy motivational speeches--just women working hard at the same time. Here are my fellow boot campers (though I think some might be missing):

And a little closer ...

I'm the biggun' in the middle.

If you know me at all, you know I'm not an ooey-gooey girly girl who goes on and on about inspiration and the lovey-dovey-ness of having support and inspiration and--stuff. But, it did mean a lot to have this group of women with me every morning. I guess I just really appreciated the shared struggle and triumph of it all. It's like teamwork without ever really working as a team. Strange phenomenon, really.

Changing gears a bit ... let's talk about numbers.

First, the good ones. Friday was our second timed mile and timed push-up test. I shaved a whopping 10 seconds off my mile (12:54 ... though I'm convinced that could have been better without all my stupid health hurdles this month) and doubled the number of push ups (I did 10 instead of 5). The push ups number still isn't very impressive, I know, but I have some high hopes based on how I felt doing them. While I still let myself come all the way to the ground in between reps, I brought myself lower before letting loose. I also didn't arch my back when I pushed up. I kept my core tight, as ABC Linda encouraged us to do, and was able to stay fairly straight from my knees up. Not bad, not bad. I'm a little disappointed in the mile though ... Meh.

And on to more disappointment. Saturday morning I went to get my post-evaluation with the ABC folks. I did find my measurement card from my previous gym, though I wish I hadn't. I've said it from the moment I was measured by the trainers at that gym and I'll say it again--they have NO idea what they're doing there. Every trainer measured me in different places and every one of them got different numbers. Talk about a roller coaster of results. I have complete faith in the trainers of ABC though, and their ability to do it right. That being said, the measurements they took on Saturday did not boost my morale one bit.

My weight is down. From the old gym's scale to the ABC scale (who knows if the old gym's scale was high or low), I've lost 11.2 pounds. According to my home scale, it's about 20; doctor's office #1 to doctor's office #2, 17 pounds. Work scale to work scale, about 8 pounds. Take your pick.

So, that's the most reliable number I have. Oh, and the bust measurement, because how hard is it to mess that one up, right? (Down 1 inch.) And the arm might be close to correct, too, at negative 1.25 inches. According to the measurements, I've only lost an inch in my upper leg and a half inch in my hips, but I'm so super confident those numbers are bigger. I can tell by how my clothes fit, and I can just tell. There are some things you just know.

So, the trainer that measured me on Saturday heard the whole story of the idiot gym trainers and I told her the different ways they measured and she was sympathetic. She told me to not be discouraged by the numbers because it's hard to compare the two sets. But, I'm pretty sure "Don't be discouraged" is the most discouraging sentence in the English language.

I am discouraged. And for that reason, I'm going to ignore these kinds of measurements for a good long while. I'm going to focus on the things that I can measure much more accurately.

• For example, I can measure how much better I felt about myself in this dress on the day I wore it to my friend Alison's wedding, versus the day I bought it, versus how I would have felt wearing it a year ago.

Smokin' huh? Ha!
Three cheers for the sideways, busty pose and for Adrienne's photography skills.

• I can measure how quickly I'm beginning to progress through the C25K program (I'm pretty sure I'm only going to do Week 3 one more time before bumping up to Week 4).
  
• I can measure how much longer I can handle being out of breath.
  
• I can measure how long I can run before stopping.
  
• I can measure how I can start running after taking increasingly shorter breaks.
  
• I can measure how my pants keep falling down and how my muffin tops are getting a wee bit smaller.
  
• I can measure the diminishing rolls on my back (nice thought, no?).
  
• I can measure the rarity of shin splints these days.
• I can measure how many friggin' push ups I can do in a minute.
• I can measure how much I hate to miss a run, not because I feel guilty, but because I just like doing it.
• I can measure people's reactions when they see me after not seeing me for a while.

So yeah, I like those measurements better. Who needs a tape measure anyway?